The first thing we noticed when using Windows 8 for the first time this week is that Microsoft killed the Start menu button. In its place is the Metro Start screen loaded with tiles as shown in the first graphic.
I couldn’t resist putting a big red X in the center to show what we think of the Metro Start screen.
After nearly 20 years at the bottom left corner of the desktop, Microsoft has decided that the Start menu is dead and that the somewhat irksome Metro Start screen is the future of Windows.
We wanted the old Start button and menu so we tried some third-party replacements and settled on a nifty program called StartIsBack.
- The Start menu using StartIsBack
- A closeup of the menu
- The menu after clicking "All Programs"
One thing to consider when using StartIsBack is that the Windows key on the keyboard (below left) will invoke the StartIsBack menu screen.
To get to the Metro start screen, bring up the "charms bar" and click on the “Windows” icon (above right).
- note: we started a new "Windows 8" category on this blog
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